Wandering All Alone
by Xehanorto
Summary: Based on the first variation of the ending All Alone, Ib went with who she thought was her mother, but was actually following no one. Garry makes it home okay, but what happens when a second figure went through and changed Ib's life and Garry's forever.
1. Prolouge to Emptiness

Wandering All Alone

The madness was finally over, Ib and Garry just saw Mary turn into ash with her painting gone. Garry was so relieved, though Ib noticed that his hand had been cut.

"Oh, this will be fine Ib, I promise."

"No it won't Garry, here let me get something on that."

Ib immediately pulled out her white handkerchief and wrapped it around his hand, holding it a little to tightly.

"Wow, is this real lace? Still, shame for it to go to waste like this."

"Garry, I'm helping a friend, that's all that matters."

"Right, well there's only one key and one door left, maybe the next jump will be the one home."

"Yeah, freedom!"

Ib skipped ahead out of Mary's room, while Garry looked at a coloring book revealing her dark intentions. In order for her to leave this hell, she had to take the place of someone in the real world. But, who was she after…him…or sweet little Ib. Suddenly, Ib came back into the room.

"Hey Garry, you coming?"

Garry walked towards Ib and picked her up onto his soldiers.

"Yeah, let's get out of here Ib, together."

Garry gave her a piggyback ride to the final door and let her stick the key in. She turned it in excitement and the doors swung wide open. Garry let Ib down so she could lead, but really his shoulders were still sore after the fall and carrying her had made it worse.

Ib skipped down the stairs, even though Garry had just told her to be careful. He didn't want something to happen when it was all over.

After traveling down the stairs and heading through the corridor, Garry and Ib found themselves back in the gallery. Ib then tugged at Garry's jacket confused.

"Are we back in the real world?"

"I doubt it Ib, but let's have a look around here, maybe we can find something."

_We have to find something, Ib looks like she is about to lose it…I need to get her home._

Ib was clasping onto Garry's good hand for dear life, even though she knew the danger was gone. They wandered around to the second floor, passing some of the works they had encountered on their journey through this place.

However, they seen approached a familiar painting, the one that would take them home.

"So, how are we expected to jump into a painting?"

Suddenly the room was enveloped in a bright light and the frame containing the work of art vanished, leaving only a portal behind in its stead. Garry placed his hand on it and waves rippled across it, like touching a pool of water.

"Ib, this is the back to the real gallery, the way to your mom and dad."

Garry would then jump into the painting first to try and ease Ib's fears a little.

"See it's okay Ib, I promise."

However, someone from the distance suddenly called for Ib. The little girl immediately turned away from the painting and she saw her mother come into the room.

"Ib, it took me forever to find you in here. I thought I told you not to run off."

"Ib, are you okay, what's going on?"

Ib suddenly began to walk towards her mother, but Gary grabbed her hand.

"Ib, I promise you it will be okay, just come on."

"Ib, don't you want to be with me and your father?"

"Yes…I…want to…be with you."

"Come with me."

"Take my hand."

"IIIIIBBBBB!"

Ib was confused immensely at the moment. She had been with Garry for so long and she trusted her, but she couldn't disobey her mother. If she went with Garry, would she be with her parents again. With this in mind, Ib suddenly felt a decision come to mind.

"Mother…I'm…coming."

Ib immediately let go of Garry's hand and walked towards her mother like she was in a trance.

"Good Ib, now come on let's go."

Ib's Mother walked away with Ib following behind like she was sleepwalking. Garry followed her as she walked seeing nothing other than Ib.

"Ib, where are you going? Ib…IB!"

Garry kept screaming, but it did no good, Ib was completely oblivious to his screams. The screams stopped after a few seconds, Garry had been sent back to the real world. After a minute of wandering with her mother, Ib immediately collapsed and blacked out in the gallery.

As she was unconscious, a shadowy figure plopped a pillow underneath her head and laid a jacket on her, before heading through the portal she had left behind. The lights flickered again and the portal had been closed, turning back into a simple painting.

When Ib awoke, she would be all alone, with no one to be with her…for all time.


	2. Awakening to Utter Despair

So yeah, the first part had no introductions from me, because the curtain needed to rise. I hope you enjoyed the little recap of the ending. I know the dialogue was wrong, but considering where things are about to go in these next two parts, believe me, the creep factor is about to shoot up.

* * *

Ib was still lying on the ground passed out, but she was tossing in turning like she was witnessing a horrible nightmare. No one was there to comfort her this time though; she would have to go through it all, never able to tell anyone how she felt.

The nightmare began with Garry shouting for Ib to come back before fading away having been sent back to the real world. However, while Ib wondered where she was in this dream, she saw Mary hop through the portal and also go back to the real world. She gasped at this, but she knew Mary was dead; they had burned her to ashes…right?

The dream continued however, with Garry simply standing in a white void looking at a sign that said straight ahead. He wanted to go back for Ib, but more than likely the portal had closed and she was stuck there.

"I hope she can find a way to get back…we have a promise to keep…plus she'll be scared when she comes to."

Suddenly Garry heard a sinister, but familiar laughter in the air. He turned around and saw Mary standing good and well before him. He rubbed his eyes and even smacked himself to make sure he was dreaming, but she only stood there looking as happy as, well a painting could be.

"You tried to kill me Garry; didn't anyone teach you it's not nice to hurt little girls?"

"How are you here…I…we burned your portrait…you turned to ash, you were dead."

"All a part of the act I suppose, you see when you reached the painting, and I knew that Ib was hallucinating again like she had with my dollies earlier shortly after we first met. So, I put on a little show, so you would be convinced that I was gone for good. But, now were both going to the real world."

"I don't think so Mary; you're a witch with no heart. How could you leave Ib to suffer in a place like that?"

"You think I wanted her to be stuck there until someone unwittingly went in? Well you're wrong about that Garry. I wanted her here instead of you, so we could become sisters and live a happy life Together, Forever. But, noooo, you robed me of that. I suppose I want to kill you, but I have a better idea. "

"Whatever you're planning, it'll never work, and you have no power here, no allies to call upon to do your dirty work."

"If that's what you think then go on ahead. Walk on the path that lies before us, I'll be right behind you always."

"Fine, it's not like you can do me any harm…but the thought of you replacing Ib…it makes me want to hurl."

Garry then sighed and began walking down the road to escape this nightmare, with Mary skipping beside him, humming a happy tune. Eventually they were both enveloped by a bright light and the nightmare ended with an image of Garry and Mary hugging one another.

Ib immediately woke up after seeing that horrible image of the one who tried to kill her and Garry acting like they were the best of friends. He had wanted all three of them to escape, but at least Garry and Mary can be happy.

She noticed a jacket that bore resemblance to Garry's lying on her, but black with red stripes. On the neck piece read a tag that simply said "Ib". This was freaking her out, considering no one was left to leave a coat for her. She immediately crawled to a nearby wall and began to cry into the pillow that had been left for her, leaving the coat behind.

After an hour or two of sobbing alone, with no one to comfort her, Ib stood up slowly and remembered that she and Garry were at the Fabricated World, before they got separated. She ran there as fast as she could, hoping she could still make it home. However, to her great sadness, the frame had returned to the picture and it was now impossible to get through. She prayed with all her heart that the way would open again, but nothing happened, it was simply pure emptiness that filled the room.

She slowly walked back to where the pillow and mysterious coat was and grabbed them both. She decided to head to where Mary's room to see if there were any answers there. As she went up the stairs that led to where the Pink Key had been used, she was already missing Garry's hand and his pleasant company. She felt like they should've been together for a long time, but that chance was gone now.

When she reached the door that would normally take her to the Sketchbook containing Mary's drawings, the doors were locked tight and the Pink Key had vanished. Instead on the ground laid a brown book with thorns stretching across the cover. Ib cautiously picked up, though at this point she questioned if she should leave the gallery. It was safe there, no paintings to chase her around trying to kill her.

When Ib picked up the book, she felt a finger get pricked and a single drop of blood fell onto the book. She felt no pain from the prick though and didn't even notice it until she saw a tiny hole in her pinky. Suddenly the thorns began to circle around one another and began to combine into a single image. Soon the words "Ib's World" appeared on the book and it expanded to match the look of a coloring book that she was so used to seeing.

"What's going on…Mommy, where are you?"

Before she could start crying again, the doors creaked open, revealing a road made out of red roses, going in one direction. Ib was confused as this looked nothing like Mary's creation, but she had nowhere else to go, so she began walking on the roses. As she continued walking, the atmosphere of the room was very apparent. It was a void where nothing ever was, but this wasn't right.

Eventually Ib reached a building covered in thorns and roses, with something inscribed on the front of the building. As she read it, she gasped wanting to cry almost immediately. The words read "Ib's Home" a thought that scared her to death. She couldn't be stuck here now could she? Was her nightmare real and she was replaced and forgotten, or was she dreaming on her way back to the real world? Ib gulped and pushed the doors open, walking inside.

When she arrived inside the room, she immediately noticed that the walls were Red like the rose with stripes of green splashed onto the walls as well. This place was definitely making her feel like she had become a prisoner, but she knew she wasn't. Before Ib could explore the room, she heard a faint giggle and looked around, wondering who was there.

Suddenly she saw one of Mary's dolls in front of her and she wanted to just kick it and get it out of her way. But, for the moment she was here and she didn't need any enemies.

"Is little Ib alone and confused? Don't worry, I won't attack you, no one here will. You no longer have any value to us; you can be considered our sister now if you want."

"Are you nuts, why would I even want to believe you after all the trouble and pain you caused me and Garry?"

The doll frowned, but perked up shortly.

"We were only listening to Mary; she was so good to us, so when she needed us, we helped without question."

Ib was getting fed up with this thing, but she decided to try to press her for some information.

"You put Garry into a delusional state that I had to smack him out of; do you know how painful it was for me to even think about hurting my friend?"

"I can imagine that was quite painful for you, but he won't remember any of that now."

"What are you talking about; we were so close together, he would never forget anything…especially after all the nightmares we suffered through in here."

The doll began to cackle at that, but stopped before he made Ib any madder.

"Well, see you're not in your world anymore, so how can your precious Garry remember someone whom he's never met? In fact, I think what's in the next room will be a real eye opener on just what has happened to you."

The doll then walked out of the room and left Ib alone to ponder her thoughts.

"He couldn't forget me…could he…no, even if his memories are blocked, he has my handkerchief, so that will help him remember. Still, what's in the room ahead, that was where Mary's Painting was, what would be there now?"

Ib took a deep breath, laying down her pillow and coat onto the floor and walked into the next room to find out more of the truth. When she entered the room, it was more stretched than the last room, but had the same layout. At the end of the room however, Ib saw a painting and ran up to examine it. She fell to the floor and started crying when she saw what the painting was.

The picture was of her, standing with her current outfit on. Her eyes were closed in the painting and she was shedding tears that were hard to notice. Her left hand looked like it was supposed to be clasped to another hand, while her right hand was holding a rose that had five petals on it. The rose had been giving much detail, but that could not calm Ib down. The notice below read "Ib".

The doll came walking into the room with a box of tissues and handed it to Ib without hesitation.

"Don't cry Ib, it won't be that bad in here I promise."

"It's not that…I can never see my momma or papa again, fell the sun on my face…be with Garry again."

"The state Garry is in right now, I don't think you'd be able to be with him even if you could go back right now."

"How do you know what's going on out there?"

"Through your painting of course, it's the only way you can see the true world now that you're stuck in here. Of course you're limited to the art gallery, but it's better than nothing I suppose."

Ib stopped crying and touched the painting with her rose and saw two people looking at the painting of her that was now in the museum. The two looked like they were her age, but they seemed familiar. When Ib realized who they were, she began to press against the painting.

"Garry, what are you doing? Why are you with HER, she tried to kill us. Wait…why did you shrink?"

"Oh he didn't shrink Ib; he turned into a nine year old boy the second he and Mary crossed into that world."

"You mean…my nightmare…it was…real?"

"Yes it was, but even Mary did not know what would happen. Perhaps it is best if you just watch for now."

"Alright…can I cuddle with you?"

The doll smiled at this and suddenly grew to a human size, to make it easier for Ib to cuddle him.

"Of course you can Ib; I will always be here for you and only you."

The doll then hugged Ib as she cried while watching the scene unfold.

* * *

In the Art Gallery

Mary and a now younger Garry were staring at a picture labeled "The Forgotten Rose", with Garry being in deep thought.

Garry looked about the same as he did as a grown up, except in this new reality he was the son of Ib's parents, born a year after Mary was. Mary had got the recessive genes of the family and resembled nothing like her parents. Garry had the natural red hair, but he didn't like red so he had dyed in purple to match himself more.

"Hey Garry, what'cha thinking about?"

"Oh nothing…this picture just reminds me of someone…I think so anyway, I know I've never seen her before. But something is just eating at me."

Mary giggled softly and then hugged Garry real tight for a few seconds before letting go.

"You must not be feeling well little brother, I've never seen a girl like that anywhere in town."

"How would you know Mary, it's not like your old enough to have seen everything in town."

Mary then gave a soft punch to Garry's right shoulder to reprimand him for his comment.

"That may be true, but I am a year older than you, so you should trust me on this."

Gary rubbed his shoulder, but had a bright smile on his face.

"I suppose your right. Still, this girl seems so…familiar…"

Gary reached into his pocket and felt a handkerchief there. He pulled it out and inscribed on it was the name "Mary" on it. As soon as she saw it, she snatched it from him and wiggled her finger while pouting towards Garry.

"Didn't mother and father tell you it's not nice to take things from your big sister?"

"Yeah…but I don't remember how it got there…wait…I do remember now. I was sneaking around in your room to read your diary, but I found your birthday gift instead. I figured I wanted to look at it for a while, so I took it. Is it possible you could forgive me Mary?"

Mary stood in silence, but then wrapped her arms around Garry and hugged him real tight like she would to her dolly.

"I guess I could forgive you, if you promise never to do it again."

Garry returned the hug to Mary, smiling while doing so.

"Of course I can Mary; after all you're the only one who's looked out for me in school…and everywhere else."

"Alright then, you go ahead and meet up with Mother and Father, I want to look at this for a tad bit longer."

"Okay sis, I love you."

Garry walked off to the main lobby, while Mary stood silently and stared at the picture.

* * *

The Fabricated World

At this point Ib was in tears and the doll was unable to calm her down. Garry had completely forgotten about her and it was like she had never even existed in that world.

"Ib, it's okay dear, you'll get over him. I promise you that much."

"I don't think I can…he was my first friend…and maybe even my first love."

Suddenly Ib's painting shined yellow and a projection of Mary showed up.

* * *

And that's the end of this chapter. So, Mary has now replaced Ib in the real world and even Garry was changed into something Ib barely recognized. Has Mary come to taunt Ib one last time or does she have another motive? Find out next time.

Oh also please remember to comment if you can. If you like what you've seen so far, be sure to favorite this story and follow it so you can see the next installments.


	3. Final Meeting

So, I am glad everyone is liking the story so far and I hope you like what is coming. Also I am thinking about doing a second fic alternating between updates with the two so i don't get burned out on one project. Anyway, enjoy the new chapter.

* * *

Ib was just staring at the illusion of Mary when she walked towards her. She immediately ran to the wall trying to get away due to the thought of her being near Mary again.

"Ib, what are doing, I can't hurt you."

"I don't care Mary, what you've done to Garry…to me…IT CAN NEVER BE FORGIVEN."

Ib was sobbing at this point, while Mary clenched her hands together and walked over to Ib. The illusion fell to her knees and hugged Ib with all her might. Ib reflexively hugged back, but was still sobbing.

"Ib…I didn't want it to be this way. It was supposed to be me and you who went back. We would've been sisters, who loved each other with all their hearts."

"But, you're a painting, you can't…don't have a heart."

"Ib, that can't be right though, since you're a painting now and yet you're crying."

"I'm not one of that artist's crazy psycho paintings; I'm someone no one can ever replace."

"Ib I truly wish that was the case, but the sad fact is…I took your place here…even though Garry should be suffering in there for all eternity not you."

"Then why didn't wake me up Mary, why didn't you send me through."

"Because, you couldn't go through anymore, you rejected the way home willingly, if you would've tried to gone through, it would have closed and we would both be stuck in here."

"But you just said…"

Mary put a finger on Ib's mouth so she would stop talking.

"Yes I know I said I wanted to be with you…but not in here Ib, I wanted to be out there in the real world. Don't worry; I'll make sure to take good care of little brother. He'll be…"

Ib immediately pushed the illusion to the side and tried to punch her, but simply phased through her.

"Garry is not your little brother…whoever that person is, that's not Garry…YOU HEAR ME YOU CREEP!"

"Ib…you've changed haven't you. Like I said before, he'll be taken care of. Sure for the first year or two, I'll be messing with him constantly to pay him back for leaping in before you, but after that…we'll be together forever."

Ib gasped and started crying again, but then ceased and looked at Mary.

"Wait, before you leave I have something to ask you…well a couple of things."

"Sure Ib, I'll answer best I can, this is likely the last time we will see each other. I have no intention of returning to the art gallery."

"You said I had refused the way home willingly, but I don't remember that happening. And how are you alive, Garry burned your painting…didn't he? And even if you replaced me, why was Garry changed into what he is now…shouldn't he back to normal?"

"To answer your first question Ib, remember those times when you first saw the dolls, you saw cute little toy bunnies?"

"Yeah, I thought they were the cutest things that I could just cuddle forever."

"Well, Garry read a little text that the heart weakened over time and it would show things that someone would want to see. When you and he reached the portal, you broke down. You thought you saw your mother show up. Even though you heard Garry, what you thought you saw, completely swallowed you. You knew Garry was right, but you thought the chance to be with your mother was too good to pass up, in case Garry was wrong. But, you never even thought about that. As soon as she said Come with me, you followed her like you were in a trance. Garry screamed really hard for you to come back, but you never heard him."

"You mean…what I saw wasn't my momma…then what did I see? One of your dolls?"

Mary shed a tear and shook her head no.

"As I said before, you created the illusion. Just like when you saw me burn. I recognized the state you were in as you ran with Garry, so I made a dollie that looked like me and burned it to ashes and made the painting appear to go off in flames. It was the only way Garry would believe that I was truly gone."

The doll that had been comforting Ib during the ordeal got up and ran over to her, hugging her, trying to catch her tears.

"Mary, you've said enough it's time for you to go away now."

Ib then moved the doll a few inches away and walked towards Mary.

"What about Garry, what did you do to him."

"I didn't do anything Ib, either the gallery wanted me to have a sibling…or…Garry chose this fate for himself. He didn't want to risk remembering you being trapped here, so he made a fate in which it would be impossible for him to remember. Either way he's like this now and there's no way to get him back."

"Mary…give me a hug goodbye please…and then leave…go live the life I was meant to have…and please treat Garry well, I loved him…I hope you can show him the love I showed both you and him."

Mary winced at this comment, after all she had done, Ib still trusted her to do this. In a twist she slowly walked towards her and hugged her tightly, shedding a tear that landed on Ib's shoulder.

"I promise you sis…I will take care of him…"

Mary then began to walk back towards the painting and vanished, while Ib simply sank onto the floor and began crying once again over the fate she had been handed.

The doll went to the other side of the room and picked up the coat that Mary had left for Ib and put it on Ib.

"I know you can't really feel anymore, but I figure this could help absorb the tears."

Ib immediately shook the coat off, not wanting to wear it.

"Oh what's the point, I'll never have a friend again, and I'll never be able to love again…"

The doll immediately handed Ib the sketchbook and a box of crayons. He opened it to the first blank canvas and place its hand over Ib's.

"You know, Mary drew her little wonderland and some of us with her own sketchbook. This little piece of this world is for you to fulfill your own desires by drawing them to life."

"That's a good thought and all, but it wouldn't be able to help the pain, I know a simply drawing could never truly fill the void that has been made in my heart thanks to this."

The doll frowned and drew a dresser in the sketchbook making one materialize in the corner of the room. He immediately took the sketchbook and placed it in the dresser.

"If you ever want to live something close to a life, you know where to find it. If you need me, I'll be in the other room."

As the doll walked away feeling abandoned, Ib grabbed it's hand and pulled him towards her.

"Can you sit with me and hold me while I try to fall asleep, I need the company."

The doll shed a tear knowing nothing or no one ever slept in here, but he grabbed the pillow and sat it next to Ib for her lie down on.

"Of course Ib."

Suddenly other dolls would enter the room as Ib slowly closed her eyes with tears rolling down them, while her rose fell out of her pocket, next to the doll. The other dolls then surrounded her with frowns on their faces.

"We will always be here with you and for you, until the day when you have another chance to leave this place."

* * *

Back in the Art Gallery

A grown woman with red hair and a man with brown hair were standing at the reception desk when Garry came walking down the stairs.

"So Garry, did you and Mary enjoy the art gallery?"

Garry simply nodded yes and just stood there.

"Speaking of Mary honey, where is she?"

Garry the looked up at his parents and pointed to the upstairs.

"She said she wanted to look at this last painting by herself for a couple of minutes and told me to find you two."

"Oh alright…Garry, do you think you and Mary would be interested in stopping by a Café once we leave?"

"I'm not sure if I'm feeling good enough to go, but I want to wait and see what Mary says."

As soon as Garry said that, Mary skipped in humming to herself a happy tune, trying to look calm after what she had discussed with Ib.

"Mary, your father and I were talking to Garry about going to the café for a snack before heading home. Garry isn't feeling well, but he wanted to see what you thought about going."

Mary looked at Garry who did seem a little pale now that she thought about it. She really wanted to go to the café, but she had to keep a promise to keep him safe.

"If Garry isn't feeling well, then we should head home, we don't need him getting worse."

"Alright Mary. Honey, I am going to go bring the car out front if you want to take the kids to get a drink."

The two parents kissed each other while Garry made a sick face at that sight. Mary only kept quiet with a smile on her face as she and her family walked out of the museum.

"Ib…I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me…"

* * *

Back in the Fabricated World

Ib was tossing and turning from a nightmare she was having about being attacked by the paintings in this place, while the doll was trying to wake her up by shaking her.

"Ib wake up, your having another nightmare."

She immediately flung her head up with sweat pouring off of her from the intensity of the nightmare.

"I had the same dream again…the paintings…they were attacking me and I could never die…I was their torn up plaything that they never got tired with."

"Ib, maybe it's time we went and confronted the other paintings, the nightmares need to stop. I mean you are one of us now, I don't know why anyone would want to hurt you in here."

Ib stood up at looked at her painting again before looking at the way out of the room.

"I suppose your right…alright then, let's go take a look around. Who knows, maybe the rest of the world was changed as well since me and Mary switched places."

The doll nodded and grabbed Ib's jacket that up until now she had been refusing to wear.

"Do you want to wear your coat now Ib? After all I think Mary made it and left it for you as a way of saying sorry for all she's done."

Ib stared at the coat for a few moments, pondering what to do. She knew Mary could no longer do any harm or wouldn't, but she got the strangest feeling from the coat.

"If you could carry it for me just in case, that would be nice, but for now I feel fine."

The doll frowned slightly, but not to where Ib could notice a change in facial expression.

"Of course Ib, it would be my honor."

Suddenly a hidden door opened in the painting room labeled "Entrance". Ib was puzzled at the sudden appearance of the door, looking at the doll confused.

"As the new master of the gallery, your able to manipulate the space making it into whatever you want. Such as making doors appear to take you to certain parts of the gallery. This is how Mary was able to get around so quickly at times, this door will take you to where you first came in, that way you can go through the entire gallery."

Ib nodded and went through the door with the doll following close behind her, closing the door behind them.

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed this installment of the story. Either this will be updated tomorrow, or a second Ib fic from me will be going up so I have a second project tow work on.

As always, if you liked this chapter please leave a comment/review and if you want to see more, make sure to follow me for this fic and more that are sure to come.


	4. New Family

Ib and the doll would appear where the Abyss of the Deep had dropped her when she first entered the gallery. The scenery hadn't changed all that much, but Ib immediately went for the room where she had found her rose. Everything still looked the same, but still something seemed off.

"Ib, you know, if you ever want to escape…you could always try pulling the petals from your rose."

"What…but why, if I'm a painting now, my rose is just another illusion."

"Maybe, but remember you were human before, so who knows what could happen."

"Well, there's no harm in trying, if I'm not hurt than my fears are only more confirmed…but if I can die this way…maybe I can find peace."

Ib immediately pulled her red rose out and stared at it intently. The very object she had tried her hardest to protect all this time could now be her only obstacle in escaping this fate. She clasped one of the rose petals and yanked it off, dropping it to the floor. However, nothing happened, no pain, no scratches, simply nothing changed when she did that.

"Well, I guess that question is answered."

The doll shook his head in agreement and the two walked throughout the gallery looking at all the traps Ib had been put through, all the paintings that had chased her, and all the objects that had come to life. When Ib reached the room where she had found the Green Key, she saw the Headless Green Statue staring intently at her.

"Alright little Ib, this time your precious little rose will be…"

The doll came in and nodded no at the statue.

"Statue, you know what has happened; now stop this idle fantasy and come to your senses. Ib is one of us now, treat her well."

"Oh, you poor thing Ib, I didn't know that. Well I know us statues will kindly keep to ourselves and you can visit us whenever you want. However, The Lady in Red may want to have a special word with you, she was the most intent on…protecting you if something caused you to become stuck in here."

Ib looked at the statue in confusion, finding it hard to believe what she was hearing.

"Why would any of you be looking out for my interests? I know I am basically your sister now, but I find it hard to see how someone could change so quickly from killer to friend."

The statue then walked towards Ib and picked her up, hugging her softly.

"Oh Ib, none of us in here betray family by any means. We only want what's best for you, some more than others."

"Alright I guess…actually I forgot where The Lady in Red was, do you remember where?"

Suddenly a door materialized in the wall behind the Green Statue and she moved out of the way so Ib could enter.

"Oh, right, I already forgot about the doors. Come on…hmm, I suppose I should give you a name…how about Jefferson?"

"Of course, I would be honored to have that name."

"Alright Jefferson, let's go."

Ib would walk up to the door, but then stopped to look at the Headless Statue, giving her a quick kiss on her shoulder.

"Thank you, I know we met in…awkward circumstances to say the least, but I hope we can be friends."

The green statue was shocked at this display, not even Mary had been this kind to her. Then again the little blonde had only ever cared about her precious dolls.

"I hope so to Ib, now run along, I'm not sure Red wants to be kept waiting."

Ib opened the door and walked through, with Jefferson following suit, the door closing and vanishing behind them.

When the arrived, Ib recognized the red room immediately, the two giant statues giving it away. She knew exactly where to go, running to the Lady in Red's location, where she was hung on the wall talking to herself.

"Oh Ib, your back…I thought you'd be terrified at the site of me, like with the other Ladies."

"Normally yes, but I'm one of you know right…so why should I be scared anymore?"

"Oh you poor thing…you know I never wanted you for your rose. I wanted you, because you looked so much like me. I thought that maybe if I could have you I could feel human. I could know how it feels to hold a daughter in my arms and to care for someone like they were my own."

Ib had a sudden realization in her eyes at this. She had never stopped to look at the Lady in Red at any chance she had, but the two of them did look surprisingly similar. In fact the Lady in Red could have passed for a much older Ib, if she wanted to.

"You know, I don't have a mother anymore, now that I'm in here."

The Lady in Red immediately picked Ib up and held her close to the frame, like she was a little baby. This felt so right to her, like this is where she belonged, taking care of Ib forever.

"You know Ib, you could just always stay in this room with me. Unless someone else gets sent here, you can't go back out there. Besides, we all know you're a sweet girl, you'd never want someone to have to trade lives with you."

"You know… before all this, you'd be right, I'd never want to make someone be stuck in here. But now, I'm not so sure I could agree with that. I had a loving family, I thought when me and Garry escaped we would have loved one another. But to have all of that snatched away from me…it just tears me up inside, making me realize that maybe being miss little sweetie isn't the best thing to do."

"Ib, I know I'm not your mother, but you need to stay true to yourself. Believe me, it's not fun seeing yourself become a monster that you thought you could never become so low to. So please Ib, promise me you'll try to hold on to that kindness you have."

Ib immediately stood herself up and grabbed the Lady in Red's hands, clutching them real tight.

"I'll try, but that's asking a lot of me, especially after I lost something I can never truly get back…"

"Ssh ssh Ib, don't think about that right now. Just focus on making the best out of what you have, not on what you did have."

"Your right…you know, I could always take you to my room, that'd way you'd be able to watch over me as long as I'm there…I could always use…a new…mother…"

Ib then collapsed to the ground, still holding on to the Lady in Red's hand, causing the painting to slide down the wall slightly.

"Ib, Ib are you okay sweetie…please wake up."

Jefferson then picked Ib up, signaling for Lady Red to come off the wall.

"She's just tired is all, something like this for a little girl to endure, it's hard. The fact that she's been able to take it this well is simply amazing. Though, maybe it's because she knows that not even the loss of her rose can set her free anymore."

"What do you mean; I thought that the rose was linked to her life, that if the rose lost all of its petals, she would…die."

"Normally yes, but remember Mary had a rose to, but it was a fake rose to make the illusion of her being human seem more real. And now, that's all this rose is to Ib is part of what makes her seem human."

"I see then…you know even though I wanted her; I also wanted her to escape this place. No one deserves to lose everything, not like this…not at her age. I have to ask, what is with that coat though?"

"I believe Mary left it for Ib before she left in order for Ib to remember her. I could be wrong though, but who knows, in time she should come to wear it. But, that is for another time; right now we should get her back to her room."

Jefferson would then snap his fingers causing a door to lead to Ib's room to materialize. The Lady in Red would open the door, allowing Jefferson to carry Ib through, while she followed, the door vanishing behind them.

After about five hours of sleeping, Ib would open her eyes, finding that she was in a bed with sheets with red roses covering her up. She looked up and saw the Lady in Red watching her, with a worried face on her.

"Red…what happened…last thing I remember is asking you to…I can't remember…I felt something come over me and now this?"

Red hugged Ib tightly and pulled the covers off of Ib to reveal a set of red pajamas that she had made for her while Jefferson had drawn her bed.

"You were asking me to become your new mother. After that you passed out and I and your friend brought you here. He drew you a bed, while I held you in one arm, while made your new pajamas with the free hand."

Ib looked at her slightly confused, but then she knew who she was talking about.

"Oh you mean Jefferson…and about you being my new mother…if I'm not imposing, could you please…"

"Of course Ib, you're the kind of daughter I always wanted. Don't worry, I'll protect you from anything in here that would want to hurt you…not like they could, but isn't that what a mother does?"

"Yeah it is…I love you."

The Lady then started to cry, no one had ever said that to her before now. She felt like she was truly appreciated now for who she was, not just her looks.

"I love you to Ib, now please go back to sleep. You look exhausted and I was going to invite the other Ladies down to get to know you a bit better."

Ib leaned up and kissed her on the cheek and nestled back in her bed, getting comfortable with Red pulling the blankets to cover her.

"That sounds really great mother…I love you."

With that, Ib fell to sleep, while the Lady in Red went into the other room.

"Jefferson…could you go gather the other ladies please, I want them all to meet Ib again. I think it would be nice for them to meet their new niece."

"Of course Miss Red, I will send summons to your sisters immediately. Now, how is Ib doing, I hope she'd feeling better."

"She seems better, but really exhausted still. She should be going back to sleep now, I told her to rest for a while. Still, I'm worried how we are going to break the news to her that she will never change while she is in here, always looking and sounding like a precious nine year old."

"She'll notice it pretty fast dear, I wouldn't worry much about it. After all, time moves differently between here and the real world. Though, lately it seems things have been moving in flux."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was Mary's favorite and first doll so we have a special spiritual bond. While she has lost the ability to tap into this, I can still use it to see what she sees. And while you were tucking Ib back in, I saw that her new family had just arrived home from the museum."

"Well, that's good isn't it, that means you can tell her how Garry is doing, I am sure that will keep her happy."

"Well, I'm afraid the connection won't last forever. The longer Mary adjusts to her new life, the more she will forget about us. Eventually her mind will automatically adjust and I won't be able to see anymore. It's hard enough for me to get a clear picture now. Besides, Ib would be better off forgetting about Garry."

"But Jefferson, he was Ib's first love in her life; you know how it felt to be loved by Mary. And if you're feeling the same way about her that Ib is about Garry, then you want her back, even though you know you can't have her."

"Your right about that Red, but Ib is so much nicer than Mary. The only difference between the two is that Ib still holds on to her humanity. Then again, that's something Mary only just obtained."

"I suppose, but hopefully Ib can keep her humanity…it makes her who she is…it's probably the only thing keeping her from turning into as dark and twisted as Mary."

Jefferson sighed and patted Red on her shoulder.

"Red, you know that time in here move's much faster than out there right. Then you know that Ib will eventually begin to forget her previous life in the real world, sure she will hold on to certain memories. But, she has a new mother now…and I think she may even see me as a father of sorts. Eventually Ib will find enough in here to replace her old memories."

"I know, but I want this to last forever, it has been so long since I felt so…good."

"I understand how you feel Red. Let me know when Ib wakes up from her sleep, once that is done, I will send the invites to your sisters to come here for a visit."


	5. The First Day

Mary and Garry

It had been about sixth months since the family had visited the art gallery. Mary and Garry were now in middle school and Mary made sure she had all the same classes as Garry. She had been trying to keep good on her promise to Ib, but she didn't know that the world was so cruel. That didn't stop her though, Mary knew cruel all too well, and she knew how to beat it.

Mary was still in the lunch line waiting to get her food so she could go sit with Garry, when she heard those dreaded words yelled.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

Food immediately started flinging all over the cafeteria with the teacher stationed in there being unable to calm the madness. Mary sighed, putting her tray back in the slot, when she entered the war zone known as the cafeteria. She spotted Gary relatively close to her, hiding under a table.

As she started to make her way towards him, someone pulled Garry out from under the table and dragged him outside. Mary was fuming at this point and bolted head first outside to stop the bully who had just grabbed her brother.

"Alright Garry, no sister to protect you today, now pay up your lunch money. Or else, you're going to get a long deserved punch to the gut."

Mary then tapped his shoulder and immediately pulled on his ponytail.

"Chad, I'm guessing that food fight was a little distraction so you could speak with my brother?"

"Mary, don't you know when just leave something alone do ya?"

Chad dropped Garry onto the cement, bruising him a little, but not much.

"Actually, that's not it at all. I am simply protecting my little brother plain and simple."

Chad then curled up his fists and prepared to punch Mary into next week.

"Well, maybe it's time you learned better."

Mary then took a hard punch to the stomach and was sent flying into a trash can that fell on top of her, spilling out a pile of half eaten food.

As Chad was going to continue his chat with Garry, Mary immediately jumped on top of him and began hitting him with her Science textbook.

"Stay away from my brother you bully."

Before Chad could retaliate injuring Mary more, the school principal showed up with two truant officers that immediately grabbed Chad and put him in cuffs.

"Chad Turner, we caught the whole thing in tape. Believe me boy, you better hope your parents can pay bail this time or else you'll be away for a long time."

As the officers escorted Chad to the police car, Principal Jack looked at Mary and Garry.

"Mary you did well again, I'm going to call your parents and have them pick you two up."

Mary began cleaning herself up with a towel, when Garry gave her a big hug.

"Sis, you know you don't have to keep putting yourself in harm's way for me right?"

"I don't have to, but I choose to Garry. I made a promise a while ago that I would protect you no matter what…and I need to make good on that promise."

"Well alright, but how are you gonna explain to Mom and Dad why your so sore and covered in garbage?"

"I'll tell them the truth Garry, what else?"

"Well alright, but you really should get me toughened up or something, I need to be able to protect myself."

"We'll see Garry, for now let's just worry about making it through to Christmas Break alright?"

Garry and Mary shared a heartfelt hug for several minutes, before Garry finished cleaning off Mary and walked with her to the office to wait for their parents.

The Fabricated World

Jefferson had just lost sight Mary when the Lady in Red came into the room.

"So Jefferson, what did you see out there?"

"Well, Ib is still sleeping so it's only been a few hours in here. Out there, it's been about six months since this whole thing happened. Mary is making good on her promise to protect Garry…I think she is truly growing fond of him."

"What about Garry, is he showing any signs of remembering at all, or no changes?"

"Quite the opposite, more and more he is forgetting about himself. From the way he was looking, I'd say about a week or two tops before Garry has no recessive memories of his past life before the incident. The only problem is that lighter of his, Mary hasn't found it yet and that is the last trigger Garry has so he can remember."

"Well knowing Mary, she'll discover it soon enough. Anyway, I am going to go check on Ib really quick, she doesn't seem to be having nightmares anymore, except for the first chunk of her sleep."

The Lady in Red would crawl back into Ib's room and saw she was still sleeping. She watched her slowly wondering when she would wake up. However, that was quickly answered as Ib soon yawned and lifted her covers off of her.

"Good morning Ib, did you sleep well?"

"I guess so, only had one bad dream…though that's the only one I remember."

"Do you want to tell me what it's about?"

"Well, I was dreaming about Mary getting her hands on Garry's rose and she slowly picked the petals off the rose. I was with him when he was falling into a deep sleep…afterwards I was just overcome with a great sadness. I had completely forgotten about the lighter in his pocket. So I simply followed Mary out of the room and headed for the gallery. I jumped through the painting and she jumped after me."

"I see, is there anything else?"

Ib nodded and got out of bed, heading for a dresser to find some clothes to wear.

"When I got back, I didn't remember anything and I wondered around the gallery for a while. I found a portrait that looked like Garry, though I'm not sure. After that the nightmare ended. Is that what she meant mom?"

"What do you mean Ib?"

"Well Mary said she wanted to switch places with Garry and in the dream he fell into a deep sleep. Is that what her plan was?"

The Lady in Red was saddened by the fact that Ib could not tell if someone was dead or not, but she was too young for that. She crawled over to Ib and picked out her usual outfit and helped her get dressed.

"Yeah, Ib, she wanted to put Garry to sleep for a very long time. That way she could get out and Garry would never be able to switch places with anyone else."

Ib sighed and put her shoes on while her mother worked on straightening her hair.

"Ib, I was going to invite the other ladies over so you could meet them again, now that things have changed. Is that okay?"

"Sure mom, I'd love to meet my aunts…wait they would be my aunt's right?"

"Yes they would Ib. "

The Lady in Red grabbed the jacket and drew it near Ib. Before she could ask Ib if she wanted to wear the coat today, Jefferson came walking into the room.

"Ib, I have some news about Mary and Garry you might be interested in."

"Are they okay, did someone get hurt?"

"No, Garry's fine, Mary on the other hand took quite the beating from a bully protecting Garry. She's keeping good on her promise to protect him."

"That's good to hear I guess…"

"Red, I sent word to your sisters to meet here shortly, you two should be ready by then."

"Don't worry; it won't be much longer Jefferson."

As Jefferson walked out of the room, Ib walked over to her bed and sat down.

"Ib, do you want to wear your coat today?"

"I don't know…part of me wants to…but another part doesn't want to."

"Ib, I promise you it won't hurt you. Mary is proving that she can change isn't she, so trust her."

"Alright, if you could put it on for me mom, I would appreciate it."

Red immediately slipped the coat onto Ib and she immediately felt a soothingness fall over her entire body. Her eyes widened and her breathing came to a slow crawl. Ib felt perfect right now with the coat on, why she never put it on before she didn't know. Soon her breathing pattern returned to normal and she hugged Red.

"Mommy, I love you with all my heart…I hope I never leave this place so I can be with you."

"Ib…I love you to."

Red and Ib hugged until Jefferson knocked on the door a few moments later.

"Miss Red, Ib, your guests have arrived."

Red helped Ib stand up and went over to the door.

"Ib, are you ready to meet my sisters?"

"Yes mother."

Ib walked towards the door, with her mother opening it for her. She entered the main room and saw five chairs. The three other ladies were at the door, each looking at Ib intently.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are there five chairs here, aren't you all trapped in paintings?"

The lady in blue crawled forward first and crawled out of her painting, revealing a beautiful woman with long blue hair wearing a blue dress. Green and Yellow followed suit, each looking similar to blue, albeit the different colors of their clothing.

"Normally yes, but we thought it would be good for you meet us in our human forms so we could get off on a good foot."

The three ladies would sit down, with Ib sitting in the middle. The Lady in Red would then walk out of Ib's room, out of her painting. She looked significantly different from her sisters, looking like a much older Ib, except having red hair instead of brown. She then took a seat next to her precious Ib.

"Oh Ib, that is such a wonderful coat your wearing, where did you get it?"

"Oh, Mary left it for me before she left."

"Well that's nice and all dear, but what about those clothes you're wearing?"

"Well Yellow, this is my usual outfit, but I think the coat really helps with bring out the colors."

"Ib, don't you think me and my sisters need names so you don't sound silly saying colors all the time?"

"Hmm, well Blue would be Ashlee, Green would be Jean, and Yellow would be Lenore."

"Such wonderful names Ib!"

All three of them yelled this at once and began talking amongst themselves while Red would look at Ib.

"Don't I get a name dear?"

"Well…you're my mom and it's rude for me to call you by your first name…but, if I had to think of one for you…how about Scarlet Rose?"

"I love it Ib, thank you."

Jefferson then rolled in a cart filled with pastries such as cake, macrons, pie, etc. Each of the five ladies took a slice of cake and when Ib took a bite into her slice, she didn't taste anything. Sure, the last time she had cake was at her birthday, but she could never forget the sweetness that came with each bite.

"Ib, how is it sweetie?"

"I don't know mom…I can't taste it."

"Maybe you're just not hungry at the moment. Oh well, where were we?"

The five of them seemed to chat on what seemed like forever, before a clock went off. Ashlee, Jean, and Lenore would stand up and bow towards Ib.

"Ib it was a pleasure meeting you, if you ever want us to visit just call."

"Alright Aunt Ashlee, can we get a group hug?"

The four ladies would immediately surround Ib and each lifted her up into the air and hugged her for several minutes. Ib fell asleep in their arms, signaling that she was ready for bed. Scarlet's sisters left the house, getting back into their paintings and crawling away back to their homes, while Scarlet took Ib to bed and tucked her in.

"Sleep by precious Ib, let good dreams sweep you.  
Let the sweet tidings, carry you tonight.  
May your night, be filled with light."

After singing this sweet lullaby to Ib, Scarlet would enter her painting once more and headed into the living room, to see Jefferson waiting there.

"So, Ib is wearing the jacket now? I wonder what changed with her."

"Well, when you told her about Mary and Garry, I think she accepted that Mary would want her to wear the coat."

"Well that's not what I meant. She seems different now, a lot more…social…and when she tried to eat, she never tasted anything like us, even though she is still able to sleep and feel like a normal person."

"You mean you think she is slowly accepting what's happened to her?"

"That's my best assumption I could make right now. Though, I suppose it's for the best, the sooner she accepts it, the easier her life becomes in here."

"Alright, well I am going to watch her now Jefferson, I'm sure you have something to do."

Scarlet then crawled into Ib's room and hung herself next to her, to watch over her while she slept. She looked so precious while she was asleep, so cuzzy and warm. However, tonight she seemed a bit motionless, not even nudging an inch while she slept.

Meanwhile Ib was not dreaming tonight, her mind was blank, having let itself go as she was sleeping.


	6. Pictured Christmas

The Real World

It was Christmas time in the world and Mary was especially excited since this was technically her first Christmas. It had been two months since the incident with Chad at school. She and Garry had been enjoying the snow that had been coming, having snow ball fights with some of the other kids, building snowmen, and even making snow angels.

One day though, a shiny metal object fell out of Garry's pocket and Mary remembered that it was his lighter.

"Hey Garry, where did you get this?"

"Oh um…well…"

Mary, walked up to Garry and tackled him into the snow, getting some snow up his pants.

"Dang, that's cold."

"I guess it doesn't matter where you got it, because I'm gonna get rid of it."

"Wait Mary, that lighter…it feels like its really important to me, but I don't know why."

"Garry, you're too young to be using a lighter anyway, even if you could convince me it was yours; I shouldn't let you keep it."

Garry sighed and fell into the snow. Mary saw a river close by and chucked the lighter into it, watching it sink into the river.

"Mary, can I ask you something?"

Mary would plop down next to Garry.

"Sure."

"Do you know a girl that goes to our school named Ib?"

"No, I don't know anyone by that name."

"Are you sure, I see her in my dreams a lot. The brown hair, red eyes…kind of looks like me if I was born a girl. She looks like she is around both our ages, just a little bit younger."

Mary looked at Garry like he was crazy. Though, I think she knew what to do in this case.

"I mean…I feel like I should know her a lot better…"

Before Garry could finish that thought, Mary jumped on top of him and kissed him on the forehead. All of his thoughts instantly cleared and he couldn't remember what he was going on about.

"Oh, did I interrupt Garry?"

"No, you didn't…in fact I can't even remember who or what I was talking about…like everything I knew just flew out of my head."

Mary smiled to herself, when she heard an alarm go off on her watch.

"Garry, we should get home, we gotta make sure were cleaned up for Christmas Dinner."

"Alright, I'll race ya."

Garry immediately ran ahead of Mary, with her running behind him.

"Hey no fair, you didn't yell go."

The Fabricated World

Ib woke up again, feeling less and less sleepy than she had before. For some reason, lately she hadn't wanted to fall asleep, but her body just forced her to. Scarlet pulled her covers off of her again, realizing she had forgotten to change her into some pajamas before she tucked her in.

"Good morning Ib, you sleep well?"

"Yeah, can't remember what I dreamed out though…no nightmares this time though."

"That's good to hear sweetie. So, what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know really, there isn't much to do around here…the gallery is closed for some reason, so we can't watch anyone."

Jefferson would then walk into the room.

"Ib, your family in the real world is doing wonderful, Mary and Garry are getting along fairly well and your parents are doing well."

Ib would get out of bed and headed over to her dresser with Scarlet following her to get dressed.

"That's good I suppose…"

"Ib dear, what's the matter I'd thought you'd be happy. Mary is having a real life, Garry is doing well, and everyone seems happy."

"Yeah, but I feel like I lost something. It must've been the first year of my life or so. I can't remember when I was born or when I did those things any baby would do for the first time."

"Are you sure Ib?"

Scarlet would take her coat off, hanging it up, while pulling down a curtain so Jefferson couldn't see Ib undressed.

"Yeah, I know because I had the faintest memory of my parents name from around that time. I think I had heard their names after I had just been handed to my mother. Now I can't remember though…so I guess those memories are just gone. But, I still have the important ones and that's all that matters I suppose."

Scarlet at this point would have gotten Ib's shirt and jeans on, while Jefferson simply listened to Ib.

"Hey Ib, is there anything in particular you want to do today?"

"I can't think of anything mom; I mean I still remember everything from this world. The gallery is closed today, so we can't watch the people, and I can't really think of anything else to do."

Scarlet had gotten the rest of Ib's outfit on and lifted the curtain, walking with her to her bed to straighten her hair for the day. Ib somehow had got a lot of curls in her hair, so she was having a hard time getting it straight.

"You know Ib, it is Christmas in the real world right now. Maybe…you would like to celebrate it?"

Ib looked over at Jefferson and smiled.

"Sure, we can have Mom's sisters over, some of the statues, it'll be fun. I don't know if this will be your first Christmas though."

"Well, with this being our first, it will be more fun for all of us. Mary never wanted to celebrate it with us, something about waiting till she was out there to have it. I mean, Christmas is something families spend with each other…and wasn't Mary our family?"

Ib got up and ran to her dad giving him a big hug.

"Dad, I'm sure Mary cared for all of you, but she never had a real life, maybe she just wanted to save all the fun experiences for when she got out."

Jefferson then hugged Ib back, stroking her hair making it straight. This made Scarlet a little jealous after spending a good chunk of time trying to get it straight herself.

"I suppose your right…Ib you really love me right?"

Ib was thrown off by this sudden question, she didn't know where this doubt came from.

"Of course I do father, I mean…you're the first one who comforted me when I got stuck in here, and you've been a good dad to me in here. I don't see how I couldn't love you."

Jefferson hugged Ib a little tighter and gave her a kiss on the cheeks before letting go.

"Thanks Ib, I was just making sure…that this wasn't a dream."

Ib suddenly realized where Jefferson was coming from. He wasn't used to someone caring so much about him, to someone truly loving him as Mary had never felt it, thus never knew how to give it.

"Dad, don't worry, this isn't a dream and you'll never have to miss this."

"But Ib, don't you want to get back out there someday."

"Yeah I do, but I don't want to just abandon you all either. Besides eventually the world will change to much to where I won't recognize it and won't know how to live in it."

Jefferson then looked down at the floor, then back at Ib.

"Ib, how do you think Mary was able to know about the other world?"

"Well, she was able to see people through the gallery…"

"Ib, she constantly read books about the outside world. She would always see people carrying books and would draw them in here so she could read about out there."

"I see…well, even then, reading about it is nothing like experiencing the real thing…"

"Alright Ib, if you say so…I am going to send out the invites for the party, maybe you and your mother can draw up some Christmas decorations for the house so it has more of a Christmas look."

Ib had a huge smile on her face and ran over to grab her sketchbook and crayons and opened it to the first page. Scarlet came over, so she could see what Ib would draw.

"Hey no peeking, I want this to be a surprise."

"Alright Ib, I'll be waiting out front."

Scarlet crawled out of the house slowly and when she reached outside, she saw the house had green rings on the walls with red dots in them. Then light's popped onto the roof that varied in a number of colors going from red, to blue, to green, yellow, then the cycle repeating itself.

Soon Jefferson returned with all the other ladies who had come out of their paintings and all had their jaw drop at the site of the house. Scarlet climbed out of her painting and joined them in their shock.

"Should we be excited or scared…"

"Blue, we always read that Christmas was a happy time..."

"Yellow, that may be, but still this is just…"

Just as the three aunts were about to start going about it, Ib came outside wearing a cute red pointy hate with white fluff ontop and on the sides.

"Alright everyone, come on in."

Scarlet, Jefferson, and the others then came inside and saw a site that seemed like it came from a dream. There was a fireplace in the corner of the room that was burning lightly, a decorated tree in another corner that had different colored orbs hanging on it at the top. There was a table that had a feast on it and there were several other cute and strange things in the room.

"Ib…did you draw all this?"

Ib nodded and led her family to the table to sit down for a Christmas dinner.

"I sure did mom, you like it?"

Everyone else in the room was still taking it all in when Jefferson piped up.

"Ib…I had no idea you were such a good artist."

"Oh it's not that dad, it's just that Christmas has some of my best memories, so I remembered how everything normally looked."

Everyone nodded and began to fix plates of food that included turkey, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and several other items.

"This all looks so good Ib, but isn't it kind of pointless you can't taste food anymore?"

"I suppose Aunt Jean, but I figured everyone deserved the true Christmas experience. Besides I may not be able to taste things anymore, but I still remember how these things tasted. Well enough on that, everyone dig in."

Ib and her family began to eat dinner and while no one could really taste it, an amazing time was still had and everyone really enjoyed it. Scarlet and Jefferson in particular enjoyed this time with Ib, maybe because they were growing closer to her every day.

When everyone had finished eating, they had all moved to the Christmas tree, with the dinner table vanishing behind them.

"Ib, what exactly is this thing?"

"Well it's called a Christmas Tree. It's decorated with all kind of ornaments by the family. I don't know what it's supposed to mean, but I know it spreads good feelings to anyone who sees one."

Everyone in the room murmured to themselves about the pretty site, while Ib began humming to herself a little tune. Scarlet quickly noticed that Ib was singing and turned to her.

"Honey, what are you singing?"

"Oh, I was humming a song that my parents used to sing to me on Christmas Eve to get me to sleep. I was always so excited about the holiday that I could never sleep. I think it was called Holy Night."

"Do you think you could sing it for us Ib?"

Ib nodded and the family sat down, while Ib got ready to sing. As she began singing everyone in the room enjoyed her singing voice immensely. If angels were real, the paintings though this is what one would sound like. So pure and innocent, that for a second, they forgot that they were paintings.

As soon as Ib was done singing the song, everyone in the room clapped. Ib then started to yawn as she had really worn herself out from the fun events of the evening.

"Ib, sweetie are you ready for bed?"

"Yeah mom, it's been a long day hasn't it?"

All of Ib's aunts came up to her and gave her a hug and kiss. She gave them a hug in return and they left, shutting the door behind them. Scarlet then picked Ib up and carried her to bed, changing her into her pajamas and tucking her in.

"Did you have fun Ib?"

"Yeah, it was a fun Christmas, it was really good being with everyone."

Ib yawned again, even louder this time as her eyes started to close. Her body wanted to sleep, but she wanted to stay up.

"Mom, could you put my coat on for me, it helps keep me warm at night."

"Of course dear."

Scarlet would walk over to the coat hanger and grabbed Ib's jacket. She then walked back to her daughter and saw that she was already asleep. Scarlet quietly slipped the coat on her and crawled back into her painting. She climbed up onto the wall next to her again and began singing Holy Night to her as she slept throughout the night.


	7. You Forget That You Forgot

The Real World

Garry and Mary had just arrived home from their first day as seniors at their first day of high school with Garry plopping down on the couch exhausted. Mary looked at him like he had no reason to be tired and sat down on a chair next to him.

"Garry, you have no reason to be exhausted, it was the first day."

"I know I know, but still we have a lot to do this year."

"Yeah, but we shouldn't let it overwhelm us, otherwise that's when we crack."

Garry chuckled, sitting up, pulling out his sketchpad. He pulled out his specialized pencil began drawing something on it. Mary came up to him, trying to see what it was when he immediately covered the drawing.

"Mary, you know how I feel about you seeing my work before it's done."

Mary sighed and went back to her chair, pulling out a book to start reading.

"You know how I am feeling about you not wanting to have any classes with me right?"

"Yeah, you want to be there to protect me and so on and so forth."

Mary grunted and turned her page rather violently, nearly tearing the page.

"Sis, I know you have good intentions, but you can't always be there for me. Besides I need to be able to do things on my own without your constant watch. "

"Garry, I understand where you're coming from, but right now you're all I have left. With father having been killed in a car accident two years ago and now with mom starting to…well I am not going to even talk about that. I need to protect the family I got left."

"Mary…I know it's been hard on you, but I promise you nothing is going to happen. I miss dad to, but we need to move on. Besides, I am sure he doesn't like seeing mom like this if he is watching over us, so we need to do what we can to bring her back. And if you keep watching me like a guard dog, we can't do that can we?"

Mary shed a tear, covering it with her book, even though Garry was focused in his art. She then closed her book and went over to Garry, giving him a hug, which startled him a little.

"Garry…your right, your my little brother and I need to look out for you, but…I need to help our family…and myself from time to time…"

Garry sat his sketchpad down on the table next to the couch and hugged Mary.

"You know, maybe it's time you made some friends at school you can hang out with. I mean, it's your senior year and I don't think you've ever had a friend over here for dinner or a sleepover."

Mary grinned excitedly, while glancing over at the sketchpad, not letting Garry know she was looking. He had finished the outlines of her, himself, and their parents together. She missed the days when they were a happy family and she and Garry were like the best of friends. Over the years though they had seemed to start drifting apart. Maybe she had been a bit to protecting, but she had made a promise…didn't she.

"Your right Garry…well, I'll let you get back to work…and thanks."

"No problem Mary…hey, maybe after school ends tomorrow, we can drive to the café and get some macaroons, and I know it's been awhile since we went."

"That sounds good."

The Fabricated World

Ib had gotten out of bed when her mother had fallen asleep watching her for the night. She hung her coat up and grabbed a journal and began writing.

Dear Dairy,

I forgot more memories while I slept. I remember Garry and the day me and two people went to the gallery. Other than that, I can't remember much from before. I get faint images of two people who look like me, but a lot older than me. Other than that, all my life I have lived in here…well what I remember anyway. I know the memories that are trying to replace the old ones are fake to change me, but as I forget more and more, they are harder to keep out…

Suddenly, Scarlet crawled over and saw what Ib was writing, despite her attempts to try and hide it. Scarlet was shocked at what Ib was writing down.

"Ib…"

"Mother…what's wrong…you seem sad."

Scarlet turned around wondering what to say. Ib had forgotten her real parents and if she told her that, it could hurt her.

"Ib…who do you think your parents are?"

"Well you and Jefferson…well I know in here you're my parents, but I should have parents from out there right?"

"Yes you do…Ib, get dressed dear, I want to take you somewhere."

Ib nodded and began to get dressed, while Scarlet went into the other room to talk with Jefferson about this new development.

"Jefferson, Ib has forgotten about her parents."

Jefferson sighed and handed her a box of tissues, as he knew she would likely start crying.

"Red, it's a lot worse than that. Ib's parents…well her father died two years ago out there. What happened to her mother is a complete mystery to me, but from how Mary and Garry were talking she's become quite depressed over the loss of her husband."

Scarlet did not start crying and instead threw the box at Jefferson, knocking him back.

"How much longer do you think these visions are going to last Jefferson, they are beginning to get tiresome?"

"That I do not know, however the time lapses that keep going on, I expect them to cease soon."

Scarlet breathed a sigh of relief from this. Before she could continue, Ib came out of her room in her usual outfit with a big smile on her face.

"Mom, Dad I'm ready to go."

Ib ran over to her mother and grabbed her hand, trying to drag her out of the house to no avail. Scarlet looked down at Ib and stroked her hair, realizing she didn't have her coat on.

"Ib, where is your coat at?"

Ib looked at her feet innocently trying to act like she didn't know what her mother was talking about. After a couple of minutes, she sighed at went back to her room to find her coat. As soon as the door was shut, Scarlet immediately turned to Jefferson, who had finally got back up.

"You better hope these visions stop soon Jefferson, otherwise I may not be able to control myself."

Jefferson suddenly had a smug look on his face and glanced over to Ib's room.

"Why Scarlet, if I didn't know any better I would say you were worried about her. Mind explaining that for me?"

"Look, you know as well as I do that chances are Garry and Mary will be long gone by the time someone gets sent here again. Chances are the world Ib knows will have changed beyond her recognition the next time someone comes. So the better she can't ponder back to her old life the better, she's better off here."

"Don't tell me your actually getting attached to her Red, it's not good for you. It's not like you have the capacity to be able to love something let alone a little girl."

Scarlet walked up to Jefferson and nearly slapped him in the face, but decided against it.

"You listen to me Jefferson, I do care for her, and I love her. Maybe I've never had the chance to love before because everyone saw me as a monster, ever think about that?"

Jefferson had no response to this, even though his mind would normally come up with something to retort with.

"Mary was always so focused on her dolls that she never paid attention to anyone else in the gallery. No one else ever got the chance to be loved until Ib came here and you know that Jefferson. Mary would always parade around with you and the other dolls, almost ignoring us entirely. Why we still helped her I'll never know, but until now I've never gotten the chance to love, so how the hell do you know I am incapable of feeling it?"

Jefferson through his hands up in a fake surrender to try to get Scarlet to calm down some, but it didn't help much.

"I'll admit, most of the gallery has been seen in a rather poor light due to Mary, but with Ib, that could change. Well, it's already changed, while out there everything remains the same, in here things are changing."

Scarlet then looked back to Ib's room and then turned back to Jefferson with concern heavy on her face.

"How long is that going to last though, you know what will happen don't you? Once Ib forgets him, there is a very high chance she could become like Mary."

"Except that Mary didn't have anyone looking out for her, she was forced to endure on her own, with no one to truly care for her. Ib has us maybe that will be enough to keep her from breaking."

Before the two could continue with this one sided argument, Ib walked out of her room with her coat on. When Scarlet was walking over to pick her up, she noticed that she seemed like she was half asleep, but she paid it not attention.

"Ib, are you ready to go?"

Scarlet lifted Ib up and began to carry her through the door, so they could go to their destination.


End file.
